His Slayer
by AlphaWolf13
Summary: It's been 5 years since Oz and Willow seperated. How will he cope with the knolwedge of there being multiple Slayers? Will a new Albino Slayer be able to bring him back to life or is Willow's hold over him still too strong? Oz/OC read and review.
1. Past Meets Present

**Okay, so this is my first attempt at making a series of any sort so bear with me. I've only done oneshots before but this idea had been coming to me for a while and I had to write. It is an Oz/OC pairing, but don't diss it. Oz and Willow were great in their time, but they've each evolved. They aren't right for each other anymore. So anyway, here it is. Please read and review. **

**Disclaimer: **_**Hello, my name is Joss Whedon**_**. This statement is FALSE! **

**Chapter 1:**

**Past Meets Present**

Oz was walking down a dark alley when his watch beeped, announcing midnight. It was late October and the chilly air seeped past his brown coat, assaulting his bones. He was in New York for the time being. Had been for three months already, which was a long time. Since breaking up with Willow, he'd become nomadic, only staying in one place long enough to learn a new technique, see a new club. He hadn't settled. He couldn't. Last he'd checked, Willow had moved on. She was building a new relationship with that Tara girl. And he envied her. He wished he could have moved on just as well. But their break up had left him scared to try and commit himself, therein laying the origin of his constant moving.

He was nearing in on his apartment when he heard feet pounding on the pavement behind him.

"Please! Somebody! Help!"

Oz turned in time to see a teenage girl speeding around the corner, her platinum blonde hair whisking out behind her. She was about the same height as Oz himself but looked twice as frail – which was saying something because Oz wasn't exactly the picture of strength. She was panting heavily, blood-red lips parted as she hobbled frantically towards Oz.

"Please, you've got to help me," she gasped.

"Whoa, slow down," Oz said, placing a hand on her arm reassuringly. She looked up at him and he was shocked to see that her irises were pink and her eyelashes white.

"No time," she protested between breaths. "It's too fast!"

"It?" Oz asked, his mind immediately coming up with images of demons and beasts and most of all…

"A vampire," she cried. "Please, you have to believe me."

But Oz didn't have time to tell her that he did because the aforementioned vampire came running around the same corner the girl had.

"Leave me alone," the girl shouted at the vampire.

"Not until you're dead, Slayer," the vampire retorted. Oz's mind suddenly went numb. The Slayer? If this girl was the Slayer, what had happened to Buffy?

"Look, I already told you, I'm not the Slayer, okay. I don't slay you, you don't slay me. I thought we had come to an agreement!"

"I'm not passing up the opportunity to kill a Slayer kid. The fact that you aren't dealing blows just makes it that much easier," the vampire chuckled, clearly certain that he would make the kill.

"Kennedy, they went around the corner," someone yelled. Oz thought the voice sounded familiar, but he didn't dare believe his ears.

"I'm on it," yelled another voice, this one not familiar at all, probably belonging to Kennedy.

And there was Kennedy now, in theory at least. Oz saw a strong brunette woman in her early twenties take the corner with ease, reminding him of the way Buffy used to run. She even had the same determined look in her eye.

"Hey sunshine," Kennedy called. The vampire turned quickly to take her in.

"Damn, there's a second Slayer," the vamp exclaimed.

"You bet your kickable ass," Kennedy said, smiling as she twirled a stake in her hand. Two slayers? Had Faith died as well?

"Is Bianca safe?" asked the familiar voice, coming closer with every word.

"She's here with some guy," Kennedy yelled back. Oz assumed that Bianca was the name of the girl standing next to him.

Kennedy then briefly turned to Bianca and addressed her firmly. "Help me out here, Newby."

"I told you freaks, I'm not being the Slayer," Bianca returned with as much resolution as Kennedy had. "You've already got a couple thousand. What do you need me for? Why can't I just live my life like a normal teen?"

"I thought Fangs over here was doing a good job at explaining," Kennedy retorted. "You're chosen Bianca. You're strong. Stop being so goddamn weak."

During Kennedy's speech, the vampire managed to turn the tables. He knocked Kennedy's knees out from under her and as she tried to right herself, he hit her in the stomach. Kennedy doubled over.

"Kennedy," shrieked an exasperated young woman as she sped into the alley, stake poised in her capable hands. Her shoulder length red hair blew in the breeze and her eyes gleamed with power.

"_Exsisto conicio absentis_," the redhead said. The air rippled around her and the vampire was thrown back into a nearby wall. "That'll teach you to mess with my girlfriend," she growled as she plunged the stake into his heart, the dust framing her like a halo.

She had aged; she was in her late twenties now. But, so was he. She was still redhead and – apparently – still gay. She was still practicing and she was still strong. She may have new scares, new powers and new responsibilities, but she was still that same girl he'd left almost five years ago.

"You okay baby?" she asked, helping Kennedy to her feet.

"I'm fine, don't worry," Kennedy replied, slowly pulling a lock of hair out of the other woman's face. "Though I can't say the same about our bystander," Kennedy continued, turning towards Oz before continuing. "He looks like he's in shock."

"Oz?" she asked aloud, bewildered that she had run into the traveler, here of all places. Was it really him?

"Willow?"


	2. I Will

**Okay, form here on it gets a little AU. I haven't watched Angel or read season eight or anything, so this is my interpretation of how things would have went down if the season eight hadn't been written. Hope that doesn't bother anyone too much. And if it does; too bad. P.S. I still don't own BtVS. **

**Chapter 2:**

**I Will**

"So the fall of Sunnydale was your fault?" Oz asked.

"Hey, not _just_ my fault," Buffy argued. "The First did stuff too."

"You're the same as always, Buffy," Oz chuckled. Willow and Kennedy had filled Oz in on the gist of things on the way to the New York headquarters. Oz realized quickly how much he'd missed.

Since the fall of Sunnydale, all of Buffy's allies had been mobilized. Giles had begun to train Willow, Xander, Andrew and Robin to become Watchers because unfortunately, when Willow activated all the Potential Slayers, the Potential Watchers had stayed dormant.

On the military front, Riley Finn and his wife Sam had managed to set up a few _private schools _under the wire across Canada and the US. The many branches of the _A. Jenkins Institute_, named after Xander's late ex-fiancée Anya, were in reality Slayer Schools set up by the government.

Angel Investigations did it's part as well, scouting out Slayers and sending them to one of the schools. Though they didn't play a large roll, it was one Buffy was thankful for.

Maybe one of the most important players in the game however was Dawn Summers, Buffy's _younger sister_ of sorts. Dawn had an ability few others did, she was just a normal girl. Dawn attended the _A. Jenkins Institute_ as well and had just begun to take classes with Giles to become a Watcher. She acted as a support system for the Slayers who were struggling to accept their fate.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Oz wondered, a bit concerned.

"Well," Buffy began, sounding a little wary. "I don't want to push anything on you. I don't even know how long you'll be in New York."

"You can ask me anything Buffy," Oz replied. "You've saved my life both with and without my knowledge enough times. I can do something for you, I'm sure."

"Well, would you mind doing a seminar at the _Institute_?" Buffy asked hopefully. "You're different just like the rest of these kids. Showing them that you learned to control it and take charge of your life might be the inspiration they need."

"Yeah, I could do that," Oz muttered. Those words reminded Buffy just how monosyllabic Oz was and she quickly shook her head.

"Maybe public speaking isn't the best job to give you," she said, but Oz refused to step down.

"I owe you," Oz insisted.

"Fine," Buffy agreed. "Can you take a class tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah."

Suddenly, the door to the headmistress' office – which was Buffy's office seeing as how she was headmistress for the New York division of the _Institute_ – was opened. Willow knocked lightly on the doorframe.

"Buffy," she began. "Could we have a word."

"What seems to be the problem?" Buffy asked.

"Can I?" Willow wondered, hovering in the threshold.

"Of course, come in," Buffy insisted.

"I'm actually not the only one who wants to talk to you," she said and pulled the door open the rest of the way to reveal Giles, Andrew, Dawn and Kennedy all there as well.

"I see," Buffy replied calmly. "Would you excuse us, Oz."

"No problem," Oz replied. He stepped out of Buffy's office, passing the others on his way out. Willow kept her eyes downcast. On the car ride over, things had been a bit awkward. Oz and Willow hadn't ended on the best of terms, to say the least. They had really had no end at all. He just left.

Andrew was the last to enter the room and he closed the door behind him. Oz listened in on their conversation.

"What's the 911?" Buffy asked.

"It's about Bianca," Willow said calmly.

"She won't transfer to the _A. Jenkins Institute_?" Buffy wondered.

"That's only the beginning," Kennedy countered.

"We don't have a Watcher to assign to her," Willow furthered.

"Sure we do," Buffy replied. "We must."

"But we don't," Andrew insisted.

"Giles?" Buffy asked, looking to her watcher for backup.

"I'm afraid Andrew's right," Giles sighed. "Andrew, Willow and Robin all have several charges too many already and I can't take on yet another Slayer if I intend to keep training Watchers."

"And Xander?" Buffy wondered.

"He's on his way. But he's got his obligations as headmaster at the _Institute_ in Vancouver and Bianca's in a fragile condition. I don't want to displace her."

"Well Giles, there's gotta be somewhere you can slip her in," Buffy pleaded. "She needs a Watcher."

"No, she needs a friend," Dawn countered. "She needs a Watcher who has enough time to treat her like Bianca, not just another Slayer. She needs a Watcher for herself or she's not gonna be able to cope."

"Why?" Buffy asked stubbornly. "She can't be coddled, Dawn. She's a Slayer. She doesn't get to be spoiled anymore. She's gotta start taking responsibility and living for others. If the others can take sharing a Watcher, so can she. She's not a girl anymore."

"She never _was_ a girl," Dawn shrieked. "If you didn't notice Buffy, she's albino. She wasn't super popular before becoming the Slayer. She doesn't feel heroic or respected. She feels like a freak. You don't know. She needs someone to show her the glory."

"Well if that's the way you see things, you go be her Watcher," Buffy said.

"Buffy, that wouldn't be wise," Giles interrupted. "Dawn's only just begun her training and Bianca is a special case. She isn't prepared."

"Great, so we're back at square one," Kennedy huffed.

"Square one or not, we still have to figure out what to do with this girl," Willow said.

"Look, assigning her a Watcher means nothing if she won't accept her duties as Slayer," Andrew added.

"Well maybe she would if she had her own Watcher," Dawn said, trying to emphasize her point.

"Great," Buffy huffed, growing impatient with her little sister. "But we don't exactly have an extra Watcher just lying around. Who would do it?"

"I will," Oz said, bursting the door. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping, but look, I'll do it. I'll be Bianca's Watcher."

"No, Oz, that's too much to ask," Buffy protested.

"But it's not," he countered. "I didn't say I'd be Watcher to every new Slayer you drag in. This isn't me trying to be overly helpful. But I saw something in her eyes that reminded me of myself at her age. It's the least I can do."

"Oz, know that this is a lifelong commitment," Giles warned him.

"I'm a werewolf. I'm already committed. This would just put a point to it all."

"Oz, I really don't –" Buffy began, but Willow cut her off.

"Let him," she said.

"Wills, are you sure?" Buffy asked.

"Positive," Willow replied. Buffy had learned over the years to never doubt her friend's intuition, so she agreed.

"Giles will give you a quick rundown of what it means to be a Watcher," she told Oz. "We don't have time for anything else."

"And you'll give up your whole life to do this?" Giles asked, double-checking one last time that Oz was sure of what he was doing.

"I will."


	3. Scoobiestory 101

**Hey guys. New chapter is UP! Okay, again I must insist that I haven't watched Angel or season 5 of Buffy so everything I've written about those points in time are based purely on research (so much research I could rip my hair out). So if I mess up a bit, I apologies. And also, I may have some spelling flaws, but I caught the ones I could. So here you are with the third chapter. **

**Chapter 3**

**Scoobiestory 101 **

"She's agreed to consider staying. But she wants to come see your seminar tomorrow. It's up to you now, Oz."

Oz kept replaying Buffy's words over and over again in his head on the way to his class. It was up to him to convince Bianca that being a Slayer was for the best. He wasn't sure he could do it.

His seminar was to be given in the History room. He figured they must go there to study ancient Slayers, but when he opened the doors he realized he was only partially right.

On the walls were posters with pictures and stats of people he knew all too well.

_Cordelia Chase: Graduated from Sunnydale high, class of 1999. Chase was an ex-lover of Alexander Harris. After graduating, Chase helped found Angel Investigations. She acquired the gift of foresight and became a half-demon. She fell into a post-natal coma for several months and died on February 4__th__ 2004._

_Anya Jenkins: Born as Aud in 820, Jenkins bread rabbits and was a giving person. She fell in love with a man who betrayed her. Jenkins then used magic to punish him. Her actions brought her to be a vengeance demon. She was made human again in 1999. She was engaged to Alexander Harris but Harris called it off on the day of the wedding. She was killed in the final battle with The First by a Bringer. _

_Joyce Summers: Mother of Buffy and Dawn Summers, she was aware of her Daughter's role as the Slayer and did what she could to support her. Summers died suddenly of a brain aneurism in 2001._

And then Oz saw her.

_Tara Maclay: Maclay had been a practicing witch from a young age. Her mother had also been a witch. Maclay became allied with Buffy Summers and her group when she met Willow Rosenberg at a UC Sunnydale wiccan group meeting. Rosenberg and Maclay, with some trepidation, became lovers. On May 7__th__ 2002, Maclay was killed by a stray bullet fired by Warren Mears, directed at Slayer Buffy Summers. _

So Tara was dead. That explained why Willow was now seeing Kennedy. She and Tara had seemed like sole mates. But then, Oz thought that he and Willow had been soul mates too.

Oz looked around some more and saw posters for Willow, Buffy, Dawn, Giles, Xander, Andrew, Faith, Spike, Angel, Jenny and Robin. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that there was even a poster for himself.

_Daniel Osborne: Osborne, known as "Oz" became a werewolf in January of 1998. It was then that he also began dating Willow Rosenberg. He graduated from Sunnydale high, class of 1999. Osborne, once a student at UC Sunnydale, began having trouble controlling his werewolf instincts. He and fellow werewolf, Veruca Jones, engage in a night of passion, bringing Osborne to the realization that he cannot control the wolf inside. He leaves town for months in an attempt to find the secret to controlling the wolf. When he returned, Rosenberg had already begun her romantic relationship with Tara Maclay. Osborne left shortly after and has not been seen since._

Well, he was about to get seen once again.

"Um, hey, hi," Oz stuttered, clearing his throat. The girls all stopped dead in their conversations and turned to look at the man in the doorway.

"Oh my God, it's him," shrieked a blonde Slayers in the middle row. The History room was set up much like Professor Walsh's old classroom at UC Sunnydale. "It's Daniel Osborne!"

"Damn," said another Slayer, this one a young black woman seated off to the side. "It's Willow's ex. The cheating werewolf."

"That's what my friends call me," Oz chuckled uneasily, prompting a chorus of giggles from the Slayers in Training.

"You were my favorite out of all these historical figures by far," commented a Slayer at the very back with short black hair.

"That's… nice," Oz said hesitantly hoping he'd picked the right words.

There was a knock at the door and Buffy entered the room with a timid Bianca at her heels. Bianca was even more beautiful in the daylight than she was in the dead of night. Her small, full lips were done up with a color similar to her skin tone, giving them a corps-like appearance. Her pink eyes were lined in sparkly white. She wore nude colored short overalls overtop a pale grey tank top. She had on her feet nude colored ballet flats and several wooden bangles on her wrists. It was a stark contrast to the black clad figure Oz had seen last night.

Upon seeing Buffy, the students stood in unison and greeted her with a resounding, "Good morning Headmistress Summers."

"At ease, soldiers," Buffy laughed as she walked further into the classroom. "I'm glad to see our guest has found his way," she continued. "Class, I'd like you to meet Oz."

"How'd you ever find him Miss?" one of the Slayers asked.

"Actually, he found us," Buffy explained. "And he's offered to be Miss Sutherland's Watcher, should she choose to stay with us.

"Which brings me to why I'm here. Class, I'd like you to meet Bianca Sutherland. She was activated along with the rest of you when Miss Rosenberg changed the Slayer activation protocol. She has a few worries about joining us, so I'd like you to make her feel welcome."

"Yes Headmistress Summers," chimed the girls.

"Bianca, you can sit beside Dawn if you'd like," Buffy suggested.

"No thanks Miss Summers," Bianca mumbled, taking a seat at the very corner of the room, alone.

"Oz, call me if you have any trouble," Buffy said.

"I will, but I'm sure I won't have any trouble with these girls. If they're anything like you, they take their duties seriously."

"Thank you Oz," Buffy said.

"Unless of course there's happens to be a sale on shoes somewhere. Or maybe a date to go on," Oz added.

The Slayers giggled.

"Just don't set them against me completely Oz," Buffy sighed, leaving the room, her heels clicking down the hall.

"Well, this is interesting," Oz sighed, looking at a group of about forty expectant faces. "I guess I should probably ask you guys what it is you want to know."

The girls all spoke over one another.

"What's it like to be a werewolf?"

"Where were you all these years?"

"How did you and Willow first meet?"

"Is it true that you were held hostage by the Initiative?"

"Yeah, to hell with where I was born and raised," Oz chuckled. The girls' enthusiasm to hear about his active years with Buffy amused him. "You guys want to know about the exciting stuff."

The girls all squawked their agreement.

"Well, I guess this all started with the first time I laid eyes on Willow. I was playing with my band at the Bronze at a costume party of some sort. I don't quite remember. What I do remember is seeing Willow dressed like an Eskimo, parka and all. I didn't even know her name but I knew she was special.

"I saw her again on Halloween. I'm not sure what she was supposed to be, only that she was the sexiest girl I'd ever seen. I still didn't know who she was, but I was going to find out."

"That's so sweet," the Slayers cooed.

"I finally did meet her, but before things could really go anywhere, my little cousin bit me and I started wolfing out. When Willow, found out, I figured that was the end of things, but instead, she accepted me completely and made me an honorary Scooby."

"A Scooby?" someone asked, clearly confused.

"Oh don't tell me you haven't heard of the Sooobies," Oz protested, dumbfounded. "That's what this course is all about, after all. Scoobiestory 101. That's what we called ourselves; the Scoobies. Buffy, Xander, Giles and Willow were the founding members. Cordelia and myself joined them later. Once Cordelia graduated and I left, Tara became a Scooby. Then, Riley and Anya and Spike and Dawn. At one point, Angel had been somewhat a Scooby himself. It's an honor to say that I was once a Scoobie. I look back on those years like the best ones of my life."

"Why did you leave, if it meant so much to you?" Bianca asked, breaking her silence for the first time.

"That's a good question," Oz replied. "And it's one I can only answer by you getting to know me. Because it wasn't an issue of me being unfaithful. Willow and Xander had an affair while we were in high school, but Will and I got through it. It was about her safety; about everyone's safety. I didn't leave because of Veruca. I cheated on Willow, yes, but then I went on to kill the girl I'd had the affair with. I couldn't control the wolf anymore. It could've been Willow. Even worse, it could have been some innocent person who hadn't purposely gotten themselves tangled in any of this. I may be a savage wolf at my core, but that means I'm also a pack animal, and I was putting my pack in danger. I couldn't do that."

"Hold up a minute," one of the Slayers said. "Who hasn't been with Xander?"

"Well, I know I haven't," Oz chuckled. The girls followed suit.

"Than, when you came back," Bianca continued. "Why didn't you and Willow work things out? There was Tara, sure, but you loved her. Didn't you try?"

"What good would it do to have Willow by my side if she wasn't happy. Tara made her happy. It was hard to accept at first. The negative stimulus prompted me to turn. I could have seriously hurt Tara. But once I took a step back, I realized there was nothing I could do. I left when I couldn't be there and now it was Willow's turn to be unable. She loved Tara deeply, I could see that. Didn't make it feel any better, but I knew.

"Because if there's a lesson to be learned about the Scoobies, it's this; we may be shallow and flakey and quite frankly prone to sleep around if you look at our track record. But when it really matters, we're there selflessly. We've risked our lives for each other time and time again, through good or bad. There isn't a Single Scooby who can say that they don't have blood on their hands. But when push comes to shove, we do what's right. That's the lesson to be learned. That's the base of Scoobiestory 101."


	4. The Things I See

**Okay, so this is kinda short, but it was a necessary link between the last chapter and the one to come. I'll admit, I find Oz is a bit OOC, but by the same token, five years have passed and maybe he's become more vocal. I dunno. Que Sera Sera. Hope you enjoy. **

**Chapter 4**

**The Things I See**

"Mr. Osborne, can I talk to you?" Bianca asked once the Slayers started clearing out to go to their next classes.

"So long as you promise to stop calling me Mr. Osborne," he replied. "Call me Oz, please."

"Alright Oz," Bianca said, her tongue trying out his name, looking for a good fit like it were a pair of jeans; comfortable and soft yet durable and dependant. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Oz responded, turning his full attention on her. It was the first time anyone had ever paid so much attention without the intention of driving their fist in her freakish face.

"Um, I just wanted to tell you that I enjoyed your seminar. But coming here was a mistake. I'm sorry but I'll have to decline your offer to be my Watcher."

Bianca turned to leave, but Oz caught her wrist and spun her to face him.

"Wait Bianca, no," Oz protested. "I know I look a little antisocial but give me a chance."

"Why do you care so much?" Bianca asked him. More so than she had never had anyone's full attention, she'd never had anyone care.

"Because there's something about you. It may sound stupid, but I want to be your Watcher because you really don't seem like much of a Slayer."

"Gee, thanks," Bianca mumbled.

"But it's true," Oz continued. "Something I didn't get a chance to say during my seminar was how much Buffy resented being the Slayer."

"No way," she objected. "Miss Summers is like a living legend. She couldn't have aver disliked her calling. She had a gift for saving the world."

"She may have had the gift, but it wasn't welcomed with open arms. In fact, that bit I said about the shoe sale and the date were totally true. Buffy almost got a date killed once. She was like any other teen, superpowers or no. She just wanted to party and shop. But look at her now. She's the most talked about Slayer to ever have lived. There's something to be said about people who don't just accept their fates. People who change the world to fit them are, in my opinion, more tenacious and certainly more amazing than the people who change themselves to fit the world."

"Yeah, well I don't know what you're seeing, but all I see is a pathetic seventeen-year-old who everyone's expecting to turn into some hero."

"You _are_ a hero," Oz insisted. "After all, you're a total freak. Not only are you an albino, but you're a Slayer too."

"I hope you've got a good point behind all these insults," huffed Bianca.

"I do. You may be a freak, but you still go out there every day and brave the world. Even when that vampire was chasing you last night, you ran, which is just another form of fighting. A coward would have just let the thing kill her, but you ran. You had the bravery to live, even though you saw the demon inside him and you knew that would be the rest of your life. Just a bunch of demons, mercilessly hunting you until the day one kills you. But you still chose to live. You may not see the courage there, but I do. I see the hero. Give me a week at least," Oz pleaded. "Let me show you that hero."

"Okay," Bianca agreed, defeated. "I'll give you a week. I'll join Slayer School or whatever this place is and I'll try. But only for a week."

"That's all the time I need," Oz replied. "Thank you."

As Bianca reached the doorway she turned to look at Oz once again.

"You tried to kill yourself once, didn't you?" she asked a now stunned Oz, though there was no real question in her tone; she knew she was right.

"Yeah," he admitted guiltily. "After Willow got together with Tara. I couldn't think of anything worth fighting for anymore. She was my world. I took pills, but I guess they weren't strong enough. Made me think I wasn't even worthy of dying, that even God wouldn't want me. But I've never told anyone before. How did you know?"

She had a mystic glimmer in her eyes when she said slowly and surely, "I see things too."


	5. Alone

**Chapter 5**

**Alone**

"Hey Oz," Bianca greeted as she walked into the gymnasium. The Slayers were slowly filing in for their combat class. The past few classes Bianca had only watched but this time, Wednesday afternoon to be precise, Buffy expected her to participate. So entered the room gracefully wearing a pale pink tank top and white short shorts. Her feet were adorned with white converse and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail at the back of her head. She looked striking, though Oz had learned that she looked just as striking in anything she wore.

"Hey Bianca," Oz replied, smiling sweetly at her. "All ready for combat?"

"Hardly," Bianca scoffed. "Promise you'll take care of me when I'm black and blue and possibly even broken."

"I promise," Oz chuckled. He walked over to the far wall where the rest of the Watchers stood to watch over their Slayers. He stood next to Andrew, the only watcher he'd really been able to bond with. Xander had flown back to Vancouver the night before, seeing how well Bianca had been taking to Oz. Robin was intimidating, Giles was a fair amount older than him and well, there was Willow.

"Kill 'em for me Anks," Oz called, using the nickname he'd given her. Bianca blushed furiously and the Watchers standing near him sent him a questioning glance. "What, do we not do that?" Oz asked.

"Not typically," Robin answered, none to sparingly of Oz's feelings.

"Alright Bianca," Buffy said once all the girls had filed in and taken their seats. "Why don't you show me what you got?"

"Me?" Bianca asked, her voice hitching in fear.

"I'll go easy on you," Buffy promised.

"Good, because I like my limbs just where they are thank you."

"Don't worry," Buffy said. "You're a Slayer. You know this."

"Until you knock me out and give me amnesia," Bianca whined, but she came down none the less.

"We'll take it slow," Buffy assured. She went behind Bianca and put her in a hold. "Escape; that's your task."

Bianca wriggled furiously, but she couldn't get loose.

"It's no use, I'm dead," Bianca scowled.

"Come on Bianca, try," Buffy urged. "You have Slayer strength. This should be easy."

"I'm sorry Miss Summers, I can't," Bianca insisted.

"That's fine, Bianca," Buffy assured her, letting her go. "It's just nerves. We'll try again tomorrow."

"Um, no, that's not fine," Kennedy said, walking over towards Buffy and Bianca. Oz hadn't even noticed her standing with the rest of the Watchers.

"Kennedy," Willow warned, but her stubborn Slayer/girlfriend wasn't backing down.

"No vampire would, out of respect for nerves, try again tomorrow."

"Come on, lay off Kennedy," Buffy insisted. "She's new, give her a chance.

"I was battling for my life before even becoming a Slayer. The least we can expect from her is to be able to break a hold," Kennedy argued.

Kennedy went behind Bianca and snaked her arm around her small body. "Break the hold," he commanded.

"I can't," Bianca whined, which only made Kennedy tighten her grip.

"Then what are you doing here?" Kennedy snapped. "If you can't fight the forces of evil even when you are a Slayer, what the hell are you good for?"

"Kennedy," Oz rumbled, stepping forward menacingly, his voice rumbling, a growl growing deep in his throat.

Kennedy shoved Bianca into the floor and scoffed. "You're worthless as a Slayer. I should have just left you to be vamp food."

Kennedy stormed out of the gymnasium with a flustered Willow on her heels calling out after her.

Oz rushed over and helped Bianca to her feet before Buffy had the chance.

"Bianca, I'm so sorry," Buffy gasped. "I'll be sure to talk to Kennedy. Her behavior was completely inappropriate."

Bianca nodded, but kept her head down. She was trembling slightly, which Oz picked up immediately.

"Bianca, look at me," Oz whispered to his Slayer. When she didn't respond, Oz took her chin in his hand and gently raised her head. He saw tears in the corners of her eyes and turned a to look at Buffy, his stare feral and deadly.

"You'd sure as hell better talk to Kennedy," Oz snapped. "And Buffy, I'm not gonna make her stay here. If she wants to go, I'll carry her stuff."

"Oz," Buffy pleaded.

"I wanna go Oz," Bianca said, her voice hitching as tears began to stream down her porcelain checks.

"Than we're outta here," Oz assured her. Taking her hand, Oz walked with her – not dragging her, but letting her go at her own pace – out into the hallway. Buffy watched them go and she couldn't help but feel hopeful for them. Bianca was just like her in many ways. She wasn't going to conform; go to a school and learn how to be different the right way. She was going to go it her own way, and she had Oz to guide her. Buffy hoped they'd be back, but doubted they would.

Once they were out on the sidewalk, Bianca's backpack slung across Oz's shoulder, Bianca bent over with her hands on her knees. She let out a long, shuddering breath and looked up at her Watcher.

"That wasn't necessarily the smartest thing I've ever done," Bianca admitted, having second thoughts.

"You went with your gut. I'm proud of you Anks," Oz assured her.

"So what are we gonna do?" Bianca asked after a moment of silence. "Unless you don't want to be my Watcher anymore. I'll understand. I'm worthless as a Slayer; I'll just be wasting your time. But I like your company Oz. Will you stay?"

"That's a very stupid question," Oz told her bluntly. "I'll stay with you forever and then some Bianca. As long as you want me, I'm yours."

Bianca's eyes welled up with tears and soon rivulets of salty fluid were spilling down her cheeks. "That's really good," she said, sighing in relief. "We just met, but I'm sure I've known you forever. I recognize your soul, Oz. There are things we have to teach each other. I can't loose you now."

"Anks, you won't loose me," Oz murmured, taking the fragile albino in his arms a placing a hand delicately on her head as it rested on his shoulder.

"Good," Bianca mumbled, nuzzling into her werewolf Watcher. "I can't do this on my own."

"I won't let you try."


	6. Break

**Alright, I know this chapter is short and I apologize. I also apologize for any spelling mistakes I'm sure I've made. I just don't have the energy to go back over it. I didn't want to wait too long to add another chapter. I have a habit of giving up on something if I don't at least seem to be making progress. So getting that little email in my inbox that says chapter six has been added really boosts my confidence. Also, getting reviews boosts confidence equally well. You should give it a try. Seriously. **

**Disclaimer: cuz I was lazy and didn't put one on the last chapter. So yeah, still not mine. **

**Chapter 6**

**Break**

"It isn't much, but it's home," Oz said as he unlocked the door to his shabby bachelor apartment.

"It's very generous of you to let me stay here," Bianca replied, shaking her head. "This is more than enough, seeing as how I don't have any money to help you pay rent."

"And if you did, I wouldn't take it," Oz insisted.

They were quiet for quite some time. Bianca placed her bag on the floor beside Oz's bed and looked around. She seemed uncomfortable, and the silence didn't help.

Oz finally broke that silence. "Are you sure you don't want to go home?"

"Yeah, it was stupid to come here," Bianca sighed as she picked up her bag. "I'll just go."

"Bianca, I didn't mean that you should leave," Oz amended, catching her arm before she could get the door open. "I just thought that maybe _you'd_ prefer to be home; to be with your parents."

"No," Bianca replied bluntly.

"Then feel free to stay," Oz insisted. Bianca set her bag down once again and pulled out a chair to sit at the table.

"Can I get you something to eat?" Oz asked, opening his fridge only to find nothing inside. "I guess I can't."

"That's fine," Bianca lied, but the growling of her stomach gave her away.

"No, it's not. My bad, I should really keep the fridge stoked," Oz replied, running a hand through is hair. "Are you alright here on your own?"

"You're going somewhere?" Bianca asked, getting a little panicked.

"I was gonna get some groceries, but if you don't feel comfortable here on your own, I can stay," Oz offered.

"No, that would be stupid," Bianca argued, shaking her head wildly. "I'm fine on my own. Vamps can't come into people's homes without invitation. Other various forms of demons, sure, but…"

"I can stay Bianca," Oz repeated.

Bianca's stomach rumbled. "Go."

X x X

Oz climbed up the stairs to his apartment, his keys jangling in his pockets. He opened his door and placed the paper grocery bag on the counter. He saw that the door to his balcony was open and he smiled sweetly. He had no doubt Bianca was out there, getting some air.

"I'm going to be in the shower if you need me," Oz called. He slipped his shirt over his head and opened the bathroom door.

It was unwise to have assumed that Bianca was on the balcony.

"Oh," Oz exclaimed, raising the hand he had his shirt in to cover his eyes. It was too late, he'd already seen her, naked and wet and the mental image wasn't going _anywhere_! Yup, definitely albino.

Bianca grabbed at the towel she'd let fall to the floor and Oz rushed to close the door, slamming it shut with his back as he slumped against the wood, his leg muscles no longer fully functioning.

"Oh my God Bianca, I'm so sorry," Oz called once he found his voice.

"No, it's my fault," Bianca called back. "I should have waited to ask if I could shower. I wasn't even thinking."

Oz continued rambling his apologies over her own. "I saw that the balcony door was open and I just assumed you were out there."

"I should have at least left a note."

"If I'd have known."

"I should have known."

"Sorry Bianca," Oz sighed.

"Me too," she replied.

"For what?" he asked.

Bianca opened the door and Oz stood to face her. She had thrown on a par of light grey sweat pants and a white silk camisole. Her wet hair clung to her neck and left wet marks on her shirt. "Because I'm imposing; coming into your home and disturbing your lifestyle."

"I'm glad you've decided to impose," Oz said, placing a hand on her arm. It was still warm and damp. She reacted to his touch, her head flying up, eyes wide and her lips parted, letting out a small gasp. Somewhere deep and primal, he loved that he made her this way; that he could elicit such sounds and expressions. Her glossy wide eyes, pink or not, were hypnotic. And he wanted them to be his to look upon forever. It was twisted and he knew it. She was seventeen years old. But she was still his somehow. "I've been too lonely for too long."

"That makes two of us," Bianca mumbled. She took a long breath but the tears came anyway.

"Hey, are you alright?" Oz wondered. Maybe him walking in on her had not only embarrassed her, but upset her as well. "Is it because of me?"

"Yeah," Bianca said, nodding.

"Bianca, I –"

She raised two long slender fingers and placed them on his lips, cutting him off mid apology.

"Because you make me feel safe," she explained. "I haven't cried in years. I couldn't afford to. Nobody was ever there for me like you are. It's safe for me to break now. I know that I have you to put me back together."

"Forever," Oz mumbled, taking the crying Slayer into his arms. Her trembling hands locked onto his back, her nails driving into his shoulders. His own arms encircled her petite waist, holding her close. His forgotten shirt lay discarded by their feet. "I'll never let you go."

"And I'll never want to go," she sighed, drinking in his scent. "I need someone to help me break."

"Just like I need someone to keep me together," Oz replied.

"We make a good team," Bianca chuckled, her head still resting on his shoulder.

"I didn't meet you out in that alley by accident," Oz said. "Something brought us together and I'm not one to defy fate."

"You used to help Buffy thwart prophecy after prophecy and yet you've never defied fate?" Bianca questioned.

"If we succeeded it was because we were meant to. That's the most important thing I've ever learned in all my training with the monks and the magicians worldwide. Nothing is an accident, and everything happens the way it's meant to. You came into my life for a reason," he said and Bianca had never heard him sound so sure of himself and so… faithful.

"Oz, you're still hugging me," Bianca said.

"Yeah. Want me to stop?"

"No."


	7. Autosaved

**Right, again this is short and I'm sorry but I prefer working in short doses instead of all at once. I apologize for spelling errors, I'm only human. Also, do remember that I do not own BtVS. It would be nice, but no. So here, enjoy the new chapter. Hopefully I'll have a new one up soon. **

**Chapter 7**

**Autosaved **

"_Sleep well, Bianca," Oz sighed, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. He sighed happily as he listened to her breathing softly in and out before he himself fell asleep next to her. _

"Please! Somebody help! Please, Oz!"

Oz shook Bianca as hard as he dared, but she wouldn't wake. She just kept screaming in her sleep, pleading for help. Oz had never seen anyone look so terrified in all his life, and her eyes weren't even open.

"Bianca baby, it's me. I'm here," Oz said, repeating himself frantically. She was absolutely panicked, tears streaming down her cheeks, calling out to him. And he was there, but he couldn't get through.

Suddenly, she went still. So shockingly, passively still that Oz was worried she'd become catatonic. Her eyes were open, blank and unmoving.

"You're scaring me Anks, okay. You win," Oz chucked helplessly, praying she was only playing around. But he knew she wasn't.

Abruptly, she launched herself into a sitting position. The lights started to flicker and all the electrical devices went haywire. Bianca's hair stood on end and crackled with static. Her blank, unblinking eyes were yellow and glowing.

"Do you think she can manage on her own?" Bianca said monotonously. She then said, "she has Oz, so I guess she's not completely alone," as though she were carrying on a conversation with herself. But Oz knew somehow that the words Bianca was speaking weren't her own. She was channeling someone else's conversation.

"But how much can we trust him? It's been five years, he's a completely changed man," she said and replied, "Willow says we can and I don't doubt her."

"Buffy, be reasonable. She needs to be in school under the guide of a properly trained Watcher."

"And where do you suggest we find one of those?"

"We'll manage."

"That's all we ever do Giles, we manage. Maybe Bianca's better off not being managed but rather being cared for."

"Just a week ago you were on my side."

"And then I realized that I was wrong."

Oz watched weakly as Buffy and Giles' conversation spilled out of Bianca's lips. It was only when Giles and Buffy began to speak over one another and yet both voices continued to be spoken at once that Oz became really concerned. He moved to face her and held her head in his hands. He mashed their foreheads together and held her glowing yellow gaze.

"Bianca please, whatever's going on, you have to come back now. You're worrying me. Maybe you'll be fine, I don't know. But maybe you'll get lost forever, stuck in other people's heads. And that can't happen to you. It's like you said, we still have so much too teach each other. We still have too much to do. So come back now, for me. Please."

Slowly, Bianca came down from whatever high had taken over her. She slumped into Oz's arms, and he sighed in relief.

"Oz, please help me," Bianca sobbed.

He held her tightly and laid her back down with him. Her head nuzzled his chest and tears coated his bare chest.

"I'm here for you," Oz assured her. "I'll always be here for you."

"Save me," she pleaded.

"I will. You just have to tell me what's going on."

"I don't know. Ever since I was little, I've had this ability that I can't really explain. I know things I shouldn't about people or places or even the future sometimes. I used to hear whispers in my head all the time, telling me things. Not in a schizophrenic way; they didn't tell me to kill people. But sometimes, they'd tell me when people were going to die. I hated it, I didn't want to know.

"About two years ago, when I was activated, the voices went away. I thought it was over, but then I started having dreams. Other times, when I met someone, I'd get a mental image that would tell me something vital about them."

"That's how you knew about me, how I tried to kill myself," Oz realized.

"I didn't mean to poke into your head like that Oz," Bianca apologized. "I can't control it. It shows me what it wants me to know, regardless of how personal it may be."

"It's alright Anks," Oz said. "You have a harder life ahead of you than the rest of the Slayers do. Your perseverance amazes me. I could never be so strong."

"Says the man who has managed to repress his wolf state," Bianca chuckled humorlessly.

"Repressing something and learning to live with it are two different things. I may have repressed the wolf within, but I wouldn't be so bold as to say I've learned to live with it."

"We're both only halfway there," Bianca sighed, calming down considerably.

"We'll learn together, how does that sound?" Oz wondered.

"Better than perfect," Bianca replied, yawning and beginning to drift off in Oz's arms.

"Goodnight Bianca," he mumbled. "Sweet dreams."


	8. Different Degrees Of Sorry

**I'm sooooo sorry. Please don't kill me. I know, this took forever. I've quickly discovered that writing and being a student all at once doesn't work as well in Europe as it did in Canada. Needless to say this will be my last multi-chapter story. Once I'm done this and my X-men fic I'm sticking to oneshots. Sorry again for this taking so long. Quick warning, this chapter deals with some mature stuff and if you like Bianca, you might end up disliking me. But it's a necessary part to write. All good stories need conflict. So yeah. I'm on break right now so another chapter might be up soon. Don't expect too much though. Sorry, once more and please don't hurt me. **

**Disclaimer: Yeah, during my absence I bought the rights to Buffy… Good to see I have some logistic people still with me. **

**Chapter 8**

**Different Degrees of Sorry **

"I'm sorry about last night Oz," Bianca said once she had finished getting dressed. "I didn't mean to cause a fuss."

"Don't worry about it, I'm your Watcher. Fuss all you want," Oz replied.

"Thank you," Bianca mumbled.

Oz buried his nose in his coffee mug and inhaled the rich aroma. What had happened to Bianca the night before had really stressed him out and he hadn't gotten much sleep. He wanted ask her exactly where she had gone, exactly what had happened, but he didn't know where to being. Had she been in pain? Had she been all alone?

"It doesn't hurt," Bianca said suddenly, breaking the chilling silence.

"Huh?" Oz asked dumbly, looking at her with puzzled eyes.

"You wanted to ask me if it hurt."

"Were you in my head again?" Oz asked, not accusingly, just curious.

"No, but if you lowered your head any further into your cup, you were gonna need a snorkel."

"Bianca, is there anything I can do to help," Oz offered.

"I don't know. My parents have tried everything, but people always say the same thing. _I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland but your daughter is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia._ Because seeing the things I see definitely makes me crazy."

"You're not crazy," Oz interjected. "Or maybe we're all crazy. That would explain a lot."

Bianca laughed breezily and Oz mentally sighed in relief. Poor girl. Oz had no idea just how much her parents had put her through – what treatments they had tried on their _schizophrenic_ daughter – but he was starting to understand why Bianca didn't want to have anything to do with them.

"You know," Oz began. "I never thought it would come to this – ever – but Bianca."

"Yeah."

Oz gulped nervously. "Would you like to go shopping?"

**X x X**

"What did I get myself into?" Oz said in dismay as he stood outside the dressing room, three or four bags in his hands, others waiting by his feet.

Bianca came out of the dressing room shortly after, wearing a short red skirt and a black tank top. She twirled and giggled, examining her reflection in the full length mirror.

"How do I look?" Bianca asked Oz hopefully, her eyes begging for his approval.

"Expensive," Oz replied, letting the words slip out before he'd properly analyzed them. "Good. No, no, I meant good. You look great."

"Oh my God, I'm such a dummy," Bianca exclaimed, slapping her palm against her forehead. "Here I am letting you buy things for me and I never even asked if I was spending too much or if you'd rather I pay. Talk about being shallow. I'm so sorry."

"No, don't worry about it," Oz insisted. "There's nothing quite like retail therapy," he continued pulling a sweater from off one of the racks and making a face at it, quite disgusted with the fringe and sequins adorning the hideous lime green fabric. "So they say."

"Really, I am sorry though Oz," Bianca said again. "You're being so nice to me; I guess I'm just not used to it."

"You really do look amazing in that outfit you know," Oz said. "I've never seen you in color before. You always wear neutral shades. Don't get me wrong though, you look good in those too. I'm just curious as to your reasoning, that's all."

"I like to wear colors when I go out clubbing. During the day, I'm just an albino freak. But when the sun sets and I'm out in the dark, I'm beautiful. Not to sound like I'm all self obsessed or anything, but I like being coveted, being treated like a mystery. At night, I'm exotic. I'm noticed in a good way. I like to blend in during the day, and stand out during the night. The sad thing in all this though is that nobody ever sees me. They see a beauty in the dark and a beast in the sun."

"I see you," Oz told her. "If that's any consolation. And I think you're gorgeous, day and night. So don't worry about this money stuff. If you like it I'll buy it for you. I just hope you don't mind fast food."

"A&W had a special on teen burgers. Two for six."

"Sounds delicious."

**X x X**

"There's something to be said about the hamburger," Bianca said, pulling at a tomato that was attempting its escape form its flame broiled prison.

"Very true," Oz agreed. "All hail the patty."

"As well as it's second in command; the french-fry," Bianca said cruelly drowning her prey in catsup.

"And Sir Onion Ring of Camelot."

"Bianca," called someone. Bianca turned around in her plastic food court seat to see three Goth girls coming towards her.

"Sabrina," Bianca called back, ushering her and her black clad posy forward. "Hey, how have you been? I haven't seen you since that thing with Tyler."

"Yeah, that was brutal, but it's all good now," Sabrina replied, giving Oz a clear view of her tongue ring. Yummy.

"Speaking of Tyler," added a girl with really fake red hair. "He's having a party tonight. You should totally come."

"Yeah," chimed in another girl with more piercings than face. "We haven't seen you in forever."

"Um, at Tyler's?" Bianca asked hesitantly.

"Oh, it's no worries," Sabrina insisted. "He's totally cool now."

"Is it okay if I go, Oz?" Bianca wondered.

"You don't have to ask my permission, Anks. Go if you want," he replied.

"Um thanks Oz. Can one of you pick me up?"

"Chad's talking us. He'll pick you up at the east entrance of the mall tonight at ten," Sabrina said.

"Nice seeing you again Bianca," Redhead smiled.

"Wear something hot," Piercings added as she and the others walked away.

"Well Oz, don't wait up."

X x X

"This is your definition of _cool_?" Bianca screamed over the music. "Sorry, but switching from alcohol abuse to shooting heroine doesn't really seem all good."

"Relax Bianca," Sabrina hollered back. "You need to just let go."

"Hey Bianca," Chad screamed, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "I've missed you, bitch." Chad pulled Bianca forward into a sloppy kiss.

"Piss off Chad," Bianca exclaimed once she managed to free herself. "How the hell are you already drunk? We just got here!"

"Mika brought the hard stuff," Chad replied, smiling goofily. "Jack Daniels, Smirnoff, LSD."

"LSD! For the love of God, get me out of here," Bianca whined. "I thought you were gonna drive me home, Chad!"

"I can still drive you," Chad protested, stumbling and stuttering.

"Are you kidding? You're a walking bottle of Tequila. I'm not going anywhere with you," Bianca objected.

"Look what the cat dragged in," a voice chuckled from behind her. Bianca turned slowly to see the one person she'd been dreading to see.

"Tyler."

"What's wrong, my Snow Angel? The Bianca I know would be halfway to happyland right now. What's got you so tense?" Tyler sneered, drinking in a sight he hadn't seen in quite some months.

"You would have a vague idea if you weren't high," Bianca retorted.

"Don't be like that, Angel. Don't pretend this isn't your scene. You love the high just as much as I do. And you're a spitfire when you're up there," he whispered in her ear, letting his hands trail to places she'd rather they didn't go anymore.

"Get off me," Bianca snapped.

"See what happens when you get it in your head that you're better than this," Tyler spat. "You used to beg to get wasted with me, to ride me. And I let you. You were better than all the other sluts here. You were wilder. You'd scratch and bite. You remember that, Angel?"

"I grew up," Bianca retorted, forcing herself not to cry. Or shiver. She remembered all right, painstakingly well.

"You didn't grow up. You ran like a damn coward. You've gonna have to do so much to make it up to me," Tyler said, so calmly he was even scarier that if he would have yelled.

"I'm getting the hell outta here," Bianca huffed, turning towards the door. She didn't get very far before a strong arm wrapped around her waist and another forced her mouth open. She felt the alcohol burning down her throat at Tyler forced her to drink. Her knees wobbled and gave out.

"I remembered how much of a lightweight you are," Tyler chuckled. "You're going to repent whether you want to or not. Four months I've been searching for a slut like you. Nobody gets it done the way you would. I grew up too, to bigger and badder things. You wanna leave, you're gonna have to make up for lost time."

Bianca felt her stomach churn, and not just from the whisky that she had ingested. God, she was so screwed. She couldn't even open her eyes. Now she fully remembered why she'd never gone back to Tyler's parties; he always had her at his mercy. She had royally messed up her life in high school. Drugs, sex, alcohol. She'd mastered it all. It was the task of unmastering that had posed her problems.

_I'm a Goddamn Slay and I'm about to get raped. This is like, a historical first._ Bianca thought to herself. _I'm weak, so weak. I can only claw and bite which unfortunately only turns him on more. Damn!_

"Did you think I'd let you off easy Angel? Why'd you even come back?" Tyler asked.

"I was under the false impression that you'd cleaned up," Bianca mumbled, looking up with big eyes at a too-stoned-to-register-that-she-should-be-feeling-guilty Sabrina.

"Ah, but I wouldn't clean up without getting everything I wanted out of you first."

"And I'm not gonna let you get it. Only way you'll have your way with me is if you develop a sudden case of necrophilia."

"I will kill you if I have to, Angel," Tyler assured her. And he was serious. So serious in fact that Bianca had a momentary lapse in logic. She kicked and connected, right where it really mattered. As Tyler stumbled away, dazed, Bianca scrambled to her feet and grabbed a random set of car keys off the counter before running outside.

Bianca pushed the panic button and thanked all that was good in the sky as a nearby car horn started to honk. She jumped in and started the engine, tearing out of the yard in reverse.

"Good God, it's a freaking stick shift!" Bianca hollered. "How much must you want me right now?"

It didn't help that she was drunk and driving down an abandoned road in a car with one working headlight at half passed twelve at night. She was about a mile away from the main road when she hit a pot hole. The back left tire near exploded as the car flipped on to its side and proceeded to roll into a ditch. When the car finally came to a halt on its three remaining wheels, a half-conscious Bianca was half sprawled across the hood, broken and bloody. Out of the shadows stepped a tall dark figure with pointy white canines and at the moment, nothing looked better than a high, horny Tyler.


	9. Changes

**Hehe, it's me again. Remember, no death. Only peace and love. My life is a busy one. But hopefully I'll be able to finish this whole fic in the next two weeks. If not, it won't be done until April. Thank you for being patient and do leave a review so I don't feel like nobody cares whether I finish or not. Enjoy. **

**Chapter 9**

**Changes **

Oz felt a chill run down his spine. Something wasn't right. He was hit with the sudden all consuming belief that Bianca was in trouble. Witchy intuition wasn't his domain, he had left Willow to do that kind of stuff, but Oz just couldn't deny that something was very wrong. He jumped in his car and followed his instincts to a small house on the outskirts of town. He pulled into a driveway just as another car was pulling out. Oz felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. He could smell her; she was close. He pocketed his keys after locking his doors and headed into what could have been classed as a disaster zone. Plastic cups half filled with alcohol were strewn across the floor and people lying in bloody heaps on the floor. Oz bent down next to one of the partygoers.

"Vampires," Oz sighed, checking their neck only to find that telltale sign. "Bianca, what the hell did you get yourself into?"

Oz checked through the house for a good ten minutes but found no sings of Bianca, or life for that matter. They had all been drained dry, every single person and there were a good ten dozen people present, maybe more.

"Good God," Oz breathed. He pulled his cell phone of his pocket and called the only person he imagined would be able to help. She answered on the third ring.

"Willow, I need your help."

"Who's calling at this hour, Will?" Kennedy wondered. She and her girlfriend had just settled in for bed when Willow's phone had rung. Willow placed her hand over the receiver and shot Kennedy and apologetic smile.

"Slayer stuff," she explained. "I'll be a minute." She got up and placed a quick kiss on Kennedy's frowning lips. "Don't wait up."

Willow stepped outside and closed the bedroom door behind her.

"What's up Oz?" she asked finally.

Oz ran a hand through his disheveled hair and sighed. "Massive vampire attack," he explained. "I don't think there's anyone left alive. I've been searching for a while."

"Is Bianca alright?"

There was silence on his end.

"Oz?"

"I don't actually know where she is," he admitted sheepishly.

"You lost your Slayer?" Willow asked, incredulously.

"Not on purpose," Oz snapped. "And she's not really lost; I just don't know exactly where she is."

"Do you have any idea how much I put on the line to get them to let you be her Watcher," Willow whispered furiously, lest Kennedy were listening in. "There were mass amounts of questions and trust issues. Oz!"

"Well look, I consider not finding her in a pile of dead bodies a good thing, don't you?" Oz argued.

"How did you manage to loose her in the first place?" Willow sighed. Getting mad wasn't getting them anywhere.

"She wanted to go out with friends. I thought that would be okay, but after she left, something didn't feel right. I drove around until I ended up here and, well, here we are."

"Keep looking around Oz," Willow urged. "Maybe she's hiding out somewhere. And If not, maybe there's a clue to where she is."

"Thanks Willow, I'll call you back."

Oz gave Willow the address in case he needed her to come down and let her go. Willow hung up her phone and sighed. She was about to got back to her nice warm bed when her phone rang again.

"One o'clock people," Willow sighed. "Some of us sleep." She sighed and put her ear to the receiver.

"Hello."

"Hey Wills, it's Buffy. We have a major problem," Buffy said. She sounded tiered.

"Yes, it's called sleep deprivation," Willow scoffed.

"I'm serious Willow," Buffy said. "One of the Slayers was out patrolling when she came across a group of vamps. She tracked them to a house just outside the city. There were a good two dozen of them so she came back for backup. I need you to wake up Kennedy and tell her to join us in the Institute lobby."

"Where exactly was this house?" Willow asked, suddenly feeling worried. Buffy told her exactly what she had feared. "Oz is there now. Bianca had been there early. He can't find her."

"What? Willow, I thought you said we could trust him," Buffy snapped.

"Yeah, which is why he's out looking for her right now," Willow argued.

"He shouldn't have let her go in the first place."

"Buffy, _we_ don't even ban the girls from going out," Willow sighed. "He was just trying to do something good for her. Who expects a vampire army to show up in the middle of suburban New York?"

"I do," Buffy replied cockily.

"Yeah, because you were the sole Slayer during the Hellmouth heyday," Willow sighed. "Even Giles is less paranoid than you are."

"Just forget it Willow," Buffy said. "Tell Kennedy to meet us in five."

…Dial tone…

"Because I'm the almighty Slayer, I don't make mistakes," Willow bitched as she walked into her room.

"You were talking to Oz?" Kennedy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Buffy wants you downstairs in five," Willow said, ignoring her girlfriend's question.

"Why didn't you just tell me it was him calling?" Kennedy wondered.

"Let's not get into this now, Kennedy."

"No, Willow, I'm not angry," Kennedy explained. "I just wanna know if the reason you won't tell me when you talk to him is because you still have feelings for him."

"Not at all," Willow said quickly. "What we had was great but everything has it's time and we've seen ours. I love you Kennedy. It's true, I used to love Oz and I still do, but it's not the same anymore. I love him as someone I shared a past with. I love you as someone to share the future with."

"So I'm not going to have to do anything dramatic like get a sex change to keep you?" Kennedy asked.

Willow smiled. "Definitely not."

**X x X**

Meanwhile, Oz continued his search of the house but to no avail. Not until he opened the closet door in the kitchen.

"Please don't eat me," shrieked a puffy-eyed young man.

"Dude, relax, I'm not gonna hurt you," Oz replied. "What's your name?"

"Tyler Grant," he replied feebly. Oz noted that he was bleeding out and probably wouldn't live much longer.

"Was a girl named Bianca Sutherland here?" Oz asked patiently.

"Bitch left about ten minutes before this shit happened," Tyler sniffled. "What the hell were those things man? They were drinking blood and everything."

"Why did she leave? How? Where did she go?" Oz fired a quick successions at the delirious man.

"I was trying to get her to hook up, like old times. She used to be my little toy, she was so good. I thought if I made her drink some she'd loosen up some and I'd get to take her – that she would agree that way. Bitch threw a fit after I tried, stole a car or some shit, I don't really know where she went. Hope those sick bloodsuckers caught up with her," Tyler ranted. Oz's knuckled whitened and there was an audible crack as piece of the door broke off in his hand.

"Dude, please, you gotta get me outta here, take me to a hospital or something. I'm dying in here," Tyler pleaded.

"Good," Oz snarled, slamming the door and breaking off the knob, leaving Tyler to bleed out. He wouldn't have lived anyway.

Oz stood outside and tried to calm his ragged breathing. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this angry. He felt the muscles under his hand twitch and looked down to see himself slowly changing. He tried to think of anything else, tried to stop it, but there was only anger. He couldn't imagine how anyone could have done something like that to her. He could imagine her on the side of the road, drunk, hurt and alone. If she wasn't already dead. He needed to get to her, to save her, to make it right for her.

A howl cut through the night as Buffy and her group approached their destination.

"Oz," Willow whispered.

_Bianca, please be alright._


	10. The One With The Sight

**Okay, I know this is short considering how long I've made you guys wait but I wanted to post something. If this isn't done in a week, it won't be done until June. Sorry, I'm a procrastinator. But anyway, enjoy and review, add fuel to my creative fire. **

**Chapter 10**

**The One With The Sight **

Paws slapped against damp earth as the wolf propelled itself through the clearing, steering clear of the gravel road, its smells of gasoline and motor oil burning a too sensitive nose. The only smells stronger than those of the road were those of blood and fear. And then there was the distinct smell of dominance, of power, coming in great concentration from the area it had just left. The wolf felt conflicted. These smells were familiar to it and it felt almost compelled to check that all was well. But whoever or whatever was releasing those odors could clearly take care of themselves. The wolf didn't need to intervene. What it needed to do was find the one with The Sight. She was fragile and needed protection. The wolf howled again, hoping she would call back, hoping she would answer – could answer. She was too important and the wolf didn't want her hurt. When it walked as flesh, it couldn't protect her. The wolf was the strength. The lack of reservations, the need to protect; it was the only thing that could keep the one with The Sight alive, not dry humor and the ability to play the six stringed guitar.

**XxX**

"He's incredibly dangerous when he's changed," Buffy briefed. "The goal is to steer clear of him entirely, but if you happen to stubble across him don't hesitate in shooting."

"But only with tranquilizer," Willow added. "It's not his fault."

"We know that Willow," Buffy sighed, looking at her friend sympathetically and placing a hand on her arm. "I just want my Slayers to be safe; it's the same thing Oz wants. He doesn't want to hurt anyone and I'll make sure he doesn't."

"Is it wrong that I'm excited that I might get to shoot your ex?" Kennedy asked Willow, grinning slyly.

Willow scoffed. "If it were anyone other than you."

Kennedy stole a quick kiss before becoming serious. "I want you armed too, and never alone. I don't want anything to happen to you. I love you."

"Love you too," Willow sighed. "Can't figure out for the life of me why, but…"

"I resent that," Kennedy rebuked. "Now I'm definitely gonna shoot him."

"We'll break off into alpha formation, bravo team taking the east side and the rest staying downwind to the north," Buffy ordered. The girls agreed and quickly broke off into their formations just as Buffy had instructed. "No casualties, unless they're of the vampiric nature, are we understood?"

"Understood," answered the Slayer army.

"Move out."

**XxX**

Bianca's eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. She tried to move but was struck with excruciating pain through her abdomen when she tried, not to mention that her head was swimming.

The vampire bore down on her and despite her fear she found herself motionless, barely able to breath as her chest constricted in panic.

_Oz_, she called, her mind begging and pleading for help, only finding one person to call for. _Oz please_.

She felt herself slipping, her rational mind trading itself in for something more primal, something with more fight, something vicious.

_Please save me_.

**XxX**

The wolf could smell it. It was threatening the one with The Sight. She was calling out. Her voice echoed in the air and was almost tangible. The wolf picked up speed. Not only was there the threat of the Blood Drinker, but the ones with the dominance, the female warriors, were approaching her as well. The wolf was distrustful of them. Their smell was distinct and triggered a reaction, a memory, but the details were unclear. The wolf sensed great speed and strength, much like the Blood Drinker that threatened the on with The Sight. What's to say the Warriors and the Blood Drinker were not allies? And the wolf could smell another female among them. She was not a Warrior but her scent as well proved to be a trigger. The wolf slowed. This female was a mate. No, she had been a mate. She was not anymore. She smelled of another, she did not belong to the wolf; she belonged to one of the Warriors now. The wolf, bemused, did not understand the concept of two females mating. But memory served as a reminder that this woman was wise and was to be respected. Besides, if it were true, that this woman had another mate, than the wolf also had another mate. The one with The Sight. She needed protection and knowing that, the wolf picked up speed, needing to reach her.

**XxX**

As Willow, Kennedy, Buffy and their group approached the main road, they saw a battered car in the ditch, blood smeared across the hood. They were about to approach the scene when Oz came running towards them, or at least his wolfy counterpart did.

"Wait, don't," Willow ordered as several Slayers raised their tranquilizer guns, Kennedy included. "Oz," Willow called. The wolf slowed and seemed to note her presence.

"We're not here to hurt her," Willow said. "We're looking for her too. She's on her own, probably injured."

Oz wolf whined and growled. Kennedy tensed but Willow placed a comforting hand on her arm. The wolf's head shot up and he sniffed the air. He turned to Willow, bowed in some silent show of recognition and gestured emphatically to his right.

"He wants us to follow," Willow realized.

"Willow," Kennedy interjected.

"Alright, let's go," Buffy agreed.

"What? Follow the werewolf? Are you crazy?" Kennedy snapped.

"Maybe," Buffy replied, smiling mischievously. "Now let's go."


	11. Coma

**Hehe, look at that. Another chapter. I love that. Finally moved back home and I have the rest of the summer off so I should be on a writing roll from now until September. Enjoy **

**Chapter 11**

**Coma**

Buffy, Willow and the Slayers followed Wolf Oz to a clearing on an old back road. Off to the side of the road was a battered old car, the roof smashed in, the windshield shattered and the hood soaked in blood. Oz whined.

"Bianca," Buffy called. There was no answer. There was no sign of life at all until a figure came flying through the air and crashed onto the roof of the car. Although saying that said figure contributed to a sign of life would be a stretch.

"Vampire," Willow shrieked.

"Who the hell's waling on him?" Kennedy asked. "Not one of our girls; they're all here."

The vampire scrambled to his feet. He noticed the new arrivals and swore. Kennedy stepped forward, stake poised. The other Slayers followed suit. Wolf Oz ran around and cut them off mid stride.

"What the hell, Oz?" Kennedy snapped. Oz growled and made some wolfy sort of head gesture towards where the vampire was being headed off by a quite frightening Albino.

"Bianca," Buffy whispered, surprised. "Bianca," she called, louder this time, but Bianca didn't respond.

The vampire lunged toward the young Slayer. In a blur, Bianca slipped effortlessly behind him. The vampire turned on his heels and swung at her. Almost before he took the swing, Bianca was already dodging the other way, as though she could foretell his movements. Their little sparing match continued much the same way; the vampire would swing and Bianca would sidestep. She didn't even try to land a blow of her own.

One of her movements led her to lock eyes with Buffy and the head Slayer gasped and backpedaled. Not many things shocked her nowadays but looking into Bianca's vacant, yellow eyes set her hairs on end.

If Bianca's goal was to wear the vamp down, they'd be going at it for a very long while. He exhibited stamina similar to that of a Slayer, though with none of the grace. He was clumsy with his motions, leaving himself unguarded several times too many. Any other Slayer would have staked him within the first few minutes of the fight. But Bianca didn't seem interested in staking him. She wasn't in it for the kill; it was more for survival's sake.

Suddenly, out of the shadows stepped a second vampire, this one a female with long blonde hair. Bianca was so absorbed in her fight that she didn't seem to notice the blonde narrowing in on her. Wolf Oz growled and lunged towards the vamp. He pounced and pinned her down, taking her neck in his jaws and ripping her throat out, leaving a pile of dust to be soaked up by the damp earth. Bianca held her vampire steadfastly as her glowing eyes watched the dust fall. Wolf Oz held her gaze and she nodded. She quickly and efficiently took the vampire head in her hand in with one quick jerk tore the head off his shoulders.

Dust pooled at her feet and her eyes began to glow bright yellow. The glowing faded slowly and she blinked several times. Her knees buckled as she grew limp. Wolf Oz ran towards her, shifting back to human mid stride, catching her when as she slowly lost consciousness.

**XxX**

Bianca's eyes felt heavy and scratchy, like sandpaper. She tried to open them, but decided that it hurt too much. Her throat burned and she wanted to call out for a glass of water but her lips were so dry they were stuck together. She ached all over, her ribs and forearms especially tender. She began to panic. Where was she? How had she gotten there? The last thing she remembered was Tyler trying to pull his usual crap. Oh God, what had he done to her? She tried so hard to remember; her brain felt like it was on fire from all the effort. She felt like she was about to start hyperventilating when a familiar voice instantly calmed her down.

"How long have you been here?" Willow asked.

"I dunno, how long since we brought her in?" Oz wondered.

"So a long time then," Willow sighed. "Mind if I sit a while?"

"Go ahead," Oz replied.

"Oz, we need to talk about Bianca… and you."

"That's not very professional," Oz scoffed.

"Being a watcher doesn't exactly qualify as a profession," Willow pointed out. "I'm not gonna lecture you on Watcher/Slayer relationships or else I'd be kind of a hypocrite wouldn't I? But it's not just me and Kennedy, there's Robin and Faith too. And then there's Dawn and Andrew but I don't know what you'd qualify that as."

"So if you're not here to lecture me, what are you here for?" Oz wondered.

"No, I'm still here to lecture you, just not on the fact that she's a Slayer," Willow answered. "Bianca is part of a community now, an international community of Slayers, all willing to look out for one another at any cost. Should you hurt her, ever, you will be hunted down and eaten as a gourmet meal."

"Werewolf stew, understood," Oz chuckled. "You know I'd never hurt her," he added, more solemnly.

"I knew you'd never hurt me too," Willow countered. "But that's not my point. I know you wouldn't hurt Bianca purposely. Same way I'd never intentionally hurt Kennedy. It doesn't happen that way, not unless you're a sadistic freak. All I want is for you to talk to her some about your past, let her know the kind of mistakes you're prone to make so you don't blindside her."

"So you've talked to Kennedy about your switching sexuality disorder?" Oz joked.

"I don't have a… oh, that was a joke." Willow blushed fervently.

"I'm not mad at you, you know," Oz assured her. "Some things you just can't help."

"Is this your way of justifying the affair?" Willow quipped.

"Which one, mine or yours?" Oz joked back. "If you ask me, they cancel each other out."

"I'm down with that," Willow chuckled.

"So how _are_ things with you and Kennedy?" Oz wondered. "We may not be dating anymore but I'd like to think we still mean something to each other. I'd like it if we could talk and stuff."

"Yeah, that'd be good," Willow agreed. "Things with Kennedy are nice. I don't know, I don't want to sound ungrateful to have her, I love her very much, but it wasn't the same instant connection like I had with…" Willow trailed off.

"With Tara," Oz finished. "I read about what happened. How are you holding up? I know it was a while ago but sometimes I still miss you and you didn't actually, you know, die."

"Well, aside from trying to destroy the world and flaying someone alive, I grieved like a normal person. I still miss her sometimes too. Even though I love Kennedy very much, I still feel like if Tara were to walk through that door right now, I'd leave everything and everyone behind just to be with her again. You never really stop loving someone, but it's so much harder to move on when that person's really gone, because there's no hope at all. I won't see her some day at the grocery store, won't run into her at the park. We'll never be together again. It was like that with you too," Willow explained. "I always thought we'd be together again. After a while, I stopped picturing us together as a couple and we were just friends, but I always wanted you somewhere in my life someday. When Tara died, I didn't just loose a lover, I lost a friend, a presence in my life. That's what made it so hard."

Willow's voice cracked and Bianca could hear Oz shift in his seat, probably to put an arm around his former girlfriend in comfort.

"I wish I'd have found you sooner," Oz sighed. "I was selfish to just leave without keeping in touch."

"At least whatever it was you were doing seemed to work," Willow argued. "That Change was amazing Oz. I was really proud of you. It makes it all okay, seeing what you've accomplished. That one Change absolved your entire past, your absence. Not to get all mushy on you, but you're a better man. You did it; you did what you said you were going to, for real this time."

"I just needed to get to her, you know?" Oz sighed. "Maybe you don't."

"Flayed someone alive, remember?" Willow countered.

"Then I suppose you do," Oz chuckled. "To be honest, I don't know what happened with my Change. I've been able to stop the wolf from doing anything rash for a while, but I've never had that level of control before. It was like…"

"Love conquers all?" Willow supplied.

"As cheesy as that sounds," Oz agreed. Bianca heard him get up and shortly after felt a warm hand on her forehead, fingers running through her hair.

"Has she shown signs of pulling out?" Willow asked. Pulling out?

"No," Oz whispered, his voice hoarse.

"You know, comas are tricky things, Oz," Willow sighed. "She could be out anywhere from a few more hours to a few more months. You should get some sleep. It's been almost 38 hours since you slept last."

"Another hour or so, then I'll pull up a cot, I promise," Oz replied.

"No, you'll go to the guest bedroom and get a proper sleep," Willow argued.

"Are you telling me that if this were Kennedy you'd be able to just leave and get a proper sleep?" Oz challenged.

There was a brief silence before Willow said, "I'll bring you some blankets and a pillow."

"Thank you," Oz said.

Bianca heard the door creek open and shut. She felt her bed dip as Oz sat next to her and held her hand. Bianca wanted to tell him that this was ridiculous, that she wasn't in a coma, she could hear him perfectly fine, but her body wouldn't move. Her lips weren't just dry, they were numb and unusable.

Oh God, she really was in a coma and there was nothing she could do. She couldn't even tell Oz she could feel him, she wanted so badly to tell him. She wanted to let him know that she was so grateful he was there. She wanted to hold his hand too, not to have it just be deadweight.

Bianca heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," Oz said, slipping of her bed and returning to his chair.

"Willow sent me with blankets," Buffy said as the door creaked open.

"She sent you or you intercepted her so you could ask me about Bianca?" Oz asked.

"Look, I'm not being insensitive but I really need to know what that was. If you know something, anything at all, tell me. Maybe it'll help."

"It's the Sight," Oz said suddenly.

"I'm sorry?"

"She has the Sight. I suspected as much when she started channeling a conversation you were having with Giles one night. But last night confirmed my suspicions. That's what the wolf kept calling her, _the one with the Sight_. And the way she was dodging all those blows before they even happened, don't tell me that wasn't her seeing the future, or reading his mind, or I don't know what. But it wasn't a Slayer thing."

"The Sight drove Drusilla crazy," Buffy realized. "Granted, it had help from Angelus, but it did some real damage."

"That's because Drusilla was human, before getting vamped that is," Oz argued. "I think that's why Bianca was Chosen. She's not exactly a regular human anymore; maybe she can handle the Sight now, without going crazy or having her head blow up."

"Angel mentioned that Cordelia had to become a half-demon to deal with the Sight; her brain was deteriorating from the visions," Buffy said.

"So here's hoping I'm right about the Slayer thing," Oz sighed.

"You don't think the Sight has anything to do with the coma, do you?" Buffy wondered.

"God, I hope not," Oz groaned, his head resting on Bianca's bed.

"She'll pull out soon, Oz," Buffy assured him. "Us Slayers heal fast."

Oz said nothing.

"I'll leave you two alone," Buffy sighed. "Try to get some sleep."

The door creaked again, leaving them alone with the beeping medical equipment.

Oz took her hand and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I love you Bianca. Please be alright."

He kissed her forehead again and then her nose. Bianca could feel his breath against her lips. He was backing away slowly however. Bianca felt like crying.

_Kiss me you idiot!_ Bianca screamed mentally. She heard a beep as her heart rate spiked. Oz froze before leaning forward again. He delicately placed his lips on hers.

And she kissed back.

**Okay, this is the last chapter, I think. Unless you guys want a bonus chapter/epilogue-thingy. But as far as I know that's it. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Or maybe more cuz sometimes I was not too happy to have to do this :P Thanks for following. Review and tell me what you thought, even if it's a critique, that's cool. Thanks again. AlphaWolf13**


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